Repercussions
by GakuenAlicefan27
Summary: In which the Assembly tries to have another Master train Aaron and Call. Key word: tries.


A/N: Hi, guys! Here I am with a new fic, because Master Rufus deserves it. I think this is the longest oneshot I've written so far, and I was really satisfied with the end result.

I also published this fic on AO3 (username: MidnightHalo27)

There are spoilers for those who haven't finished The Copper Gauntlet.

Disclaimer: The Magisterium book series belongs to Cassandra Clare and Holly Black, not me.

I hope you like this fic! Reviews, kudos, etc are great! Constructive criticism is very welcome, but flames will be used to roast marshmallows.

* * *

 **Repercussions**

 _by: GakuenAlicefan27_

"What could they want to talk to us about?" Call asked, fiddling with his bracelet as both he and Aaron waited outside the Conference room for the Assembly to call them in.

Aaron shrugged, leaning into one of the walls and not looking half as nervous as Call felt. "No idea."

"How are you so calm?"

Aaron smiled. "I'm not that calm. I get nervous every time the Assembly requests a Conference, but I've gotten better at hiding it."

Call frowned. Aaron had officially been a Makar for longer than Call, so he'd had more meetings with the Assembly. Call himself had only gone to maybe three or four since the "death of the Enemy" last year, and he worried before each of them.

There was always the possibility that the Assembly had somehow found out about him having Constantine's soul, and even if it wasn't the case, Call always got fidgety with all those eyes on him, no matter what they were talking to him about – He wasn't charming like Aaron.

That, and he was pretty sure that Master North had a bone to pick with him.

He let out a long breath, fiddling with his bracelet for one or two minutes more before the stone wall slid open and they were allowed in.

Once inside, he saw Tamara's parents and Alex's stepmother, along with Master North and a few other Masters Call recognized. He and Aaron stood in the center, like the first time Call was there.

He scanned the room once, twice, then stiffened.

Master Rufus was not there.

There was no way that could be good.

Assemblyman Graves started talking, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Mister Stewart. Mister Hunt. Thank you for coming."

" _Well, it's not like we had a choice."_ Call thought.

"This is not gonna take long." He continued, clearing his throat. "The Assembly merely wished to inform you that we have debated amongst ourselves and reached the conclusion that you two shall resume your Makar training with a new Master."

"What?!" Call and Aaron said in unison.

Call stared at Assemblyman Graves with an open mouth and a shocked expression. The words just didn't compute in his brain.

"I don't understand, Assemblyman Graves." Aaron said, eyes wide. "Did something happen with Master Rufus?" He asked, scanning the room like Call had done and realizing that their Master wasn't there.

"No, Mister Stewart. This was a decision based on other matters." Graves answered.

Aaron frowned, but then changed his posture to assume a diplomatic stance. "We've been training with Master Rufus since the beginning. I don't see how having us train with another Master would be better. Our lessons have…" And he went on talking about the progress he and Call had been making on their Makar lessons.

Call hoped Aaron would be able to make the Assembly change their mind, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that there was a slim chance of that happening. The puzzle pieces were coming together in his mind, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

He remembered the way some of the Assembly members acted coldly towards Master Rufus. He remembered the way some of the Masters looked at him, how they stared with envy or accusation. He remembered the hushed conversations he sometimes heard while strolling through the corridors; how things had gotten even worse after Call had officially become a Makar. Hell, some of them had even wondered if Master Rufus had known that Call had been a Makar all along – Otherwise, why would he choose a student that had scored so low on the Iron Trial?

There was nothing Aaron could say to change their minds. They had been itching to cast Master Rufus aside for a long time. They didn't want him training their Makaris; they didn't trust him with them.

Not after what the last Makar he trained did.

Call saw red.

Aaron finished talking. Assemblyman Graves nodded politely at him, but merely said:

"We are aware of the progress you've been making, Mister Stewart, but I assure you that the Assembly has given this matter a lot of thought before informing you of this. The decision remains."

Aaron looked like he wanted to retort, but he didn't say anything else. He knew he had lost this one.

Assemblyman Graves continued: "Well, that being said…"

"No." Call interrupted, feeling like his blood was boiling.

"…Pardon?" Graves blinked.

"I don't want another Master." Call said.

Assemblyman Graves sighed. "Mister Hunt, you'll still have your regular classes with Master Rufus. It's just the Makar lessons he won't be teaching anymore."

"Why?! You know Master Rufus has been doing a great job with us!"

"Training two Makaris, on top of giving regular classes is too strenuous a job." Graves said, as if he were talking to a small child. As if Call would buy this poor excuse.

"Did he say so?" He gritted his teeth.

"…That's not the point, Mister Hunt."

Call balled his hands into fists. "No, the point is that all of you blame him for what happened with Constantine Madden!" He spat.

"Mister Hunt!" Assemblyman Graves exclaimed, scandalized.

"It's true! You can't stand the fact that he's gotten three Makaris as his apprentices in the span of a few decades, and you think that it's somehow his fault that Constantine did all those bad things with chaos magic, but you're wrong!" He barked. "You just want someone to lash out at! That's not fair! You can't blame him for other people's decisions! It's Constantine's fault! And Master Joseph's fault! Not Master Rufus'!"

"MISTER HUNT!" Master North shot up from his seat. "YOU CAN'T SPEAK TO US LIKE THAT!"

Call crossed his arms and scowled. "Well, I already have."

Aaron opened his mouth, but Call glared at him and he quickly closed it. He wouldn't let Aaron apologize on his behalf. They wouldn't get any form of apology as long as he was in the room.

Master North narrowed his eyes. "Our decision is not arguable, Mister Hunt. You and Mister Stewart will have to choose another Master for your Makar training."

Now it was Call's turn to narrow his eyes. "Then I'm not gonna train chaos magic at all."

Aaron spluttered beside him, but Call didn't look at him. Out of the corner of his eyes, he thought he saw Master Milagros trying to cover a smile.

Master North scoffed. "Unacceptable! We won't let a Makar go untrained!"

Call didn't break eye contact. "Either Master Rufus trains me, or you can consider Aaron your only Makar."

Assemblyman Graves' face looked like a tomato. "You can't..."

"Watch me." He said, then stormed out of the Conference room before he punched someone.

He might not be the most charming person around, but he damn well was the most stubborn.

He was not letting them have their way in this.

~x~

Tamara wasn't there when he entered their quarters. The lack of Havoc around probably meant that she had taken him for a walk.

Call went straight to his room and slammed the door, even though nobody would hear it. He threw himself on his bed and put a pillow over his head, trying to calm down.

It didn't work. Images of what had just happened flashed through his mind, making him angrier. His head was pounding. He wanted to scream.

He tried to breathe slower, in and out, and focus on his breathing instead of on all the other stuff. He didn't know when, but he must have fallen asleep at some point.

When he opened his eyes and looked at the clock, a few hours had passed. It was almost time for dinner.

Call was tempted to just stay in his room all night least he bump into someone from the Assembly, but he hadn't eaten anything in hours and his stomach was grumbling.

He got up and opened the door. Tamara and Aaron were in the living room, Havoc lying on the ground near the sofa. They looked at him and took in his bed hair that he hadn't bothered to comb.

Tamara sighed. "You were sleeping. Good, we were wondering if you were okay."

Call walked up to them, but didn't sit down. "I had a lot on my mind. I take it Aaron has told you."

Tamara nodded. "He has." She looked at Aaron, who was looking at Call as if asking him if he really were okay. Call managed a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. Tamara went on:

"I can't believe they are doing this to Master Rufus after everything he's done for them and for us." She said, gripping the arm of the sofa tightly and then letting go.

She looked at Call. "Still, you really shouldn't have reacted the way you did, Call."

Call looked at her with eyes wide in disbelief, but she didn't budge. He looked at Aaron for some support, but he merely nodded in agreement.

"What did you want me to do?!" He asked, his anger coming back. "You tried to talk them down, Aaron! You saw that it didn't work!"

"Yeah, but…you can't simply refuse to train chaos magic, Call." Aaron said, tentatively.

"Of course I can. I will." Call said, crossing his arms. "I meant every word I said in there. If they don't change their mind, I'm not going to attend Makar lessons." He looked at Aaron, trying to make him understand. "I can't let them do that with Master Rufus! It's not fair! You guys can't be seriously telling me to accept defeat and let them have their way!"

Havoc started whining, sensing Call's unrest. Tamara shook her head. "Call, of course we think that's unfair, but you can't just give up on being a Makar if Master Rufus doesn't train you. You need to learn to control your powers, and I don't think the Assembly is going to step back. My parents came to talk to me while you were sleeping, trying to get me to convince you to change your mind. They are very serious about getting you another teacher."

Call's anger flared out even more. "So what?! I'm serious too! I know Aaron can't do it because he feels like he owes the Magisterium, but I'm not accepting this! I'm not gonna sit back and watch as they blame him for Constantine's mistakes!"

" _For my mistakes!"_ He thought.

"Call, please, don't be so stubborn. You have to understand…" Tamara began.

"No, you have to understand!" He interrupted her. "They are punishing him for Constantine's decisions, Tamara! My soul's decisions of more than a decade ago! They have been subtly blaming him all these years! He's been enduring it for all these years and I can't even tell him…" He choked. "I can't even tell him I'm sorry."

He looked at Tamara and Aaron, who had pained expressions on their faces. He tried to hold back the tears and the anger and the guilt, but he knew it must have all been showing on his face. He looked down.

"I just wanted you to understand this." He said. "Just this once. Because I'm just so tired of this happening every year like a damn cycle, you know: something happens, we argue about it, you two on a side and me on the other; then we don't talk for weeks and I spend that time hanging out with other people while you two just go on being a perfect team without me…." He closed his mouth abruptly, not even knowing why he had said that last part.

Aaron and Tamara shot up from their seats, but Call had already scurried away to the mess hall, not turning back when they called his name.

~x~

He picked an empty table in the mess hall, far from where he and his friends usually sat. Rafe and Kai Hale shot him worried glances when he passed them, but he didn't stop; he needed to be alone right now, or he'd end up exploding on someone who had nothing to do with his sour mood.

Once sat, he spent a few minutes looking down at his tray as if it had personally offended him. His hunger from before had faded during the argument with Tamara and Aaron. Now, his head was pounding even worse than it had before he fell asleep, and his bad leg was beginning to ache because of how he had all but ran from his and his friends' quarters.

Alex Strike approached his table and sat on the chair opposite him. "Hey, Call! You're just the person I wanted to talk to!" He said.

"Did your stepmother send you as well?!" Call snarled.

Alex's eyes widened. "Jesus Christ, I come in peace!" He said, raising both hands.

Call covered his face with his hands, not really believing what he had just said. This was exactly why he had been sitting alone. "Sorry, Alex. I had a really bad day."

Alex made a dismissive noise. "Nah, it's all good. I heard about how the meeting with the Assembly went." He said, patting Call's shoulder. "Thanks for standing up for Master Rufus. I wish I had been there to see their faces."

Call smiled, grateful. Aaron and Tamara might not be on his side, but Alex was, just like he had been last year. "Master North looked as if he were about to burst."

Alex smiled as well. "I can imagine. I guess none of them ever thought someone would call them out on their bullshit; not the way you did." He sipped on his juice. "What did you mean about my stepmother sending me "as well" though?"

Call groaned. "Tamara's parents wanted her to try and change my mind, and it's not like she actually agrees with them, but it still made me angry." He took a bite of his food. "Her parents suck."

"What a coincidence," Alex said with a shit-eating grin. "Kimiya's parents suck too."

Call couldn't help it; he laughed so loud people on other tables turned to look. "Dude," He said, once the laughter had died down. "Thanks, I really needed that."

Alex just grinned wider. "Glad I helped." He said, taking a bite of lichen. "For real though, thanks for what you said to the Assembly. Not many people would have the guts to do it, and Master Rufus really needed to hear someone say it."

Call frowned. "He did?"

Alex smiled sadly. "Yeah, you know…he blames himself as well."

Call started. "But…! It wasn't his fault!"

"I think so too." Alex said. "But anyone in his place would probably blame themselves, even if just a little. Master Rufus…he's the kind of Master whose apprentices become his kids. Constantine made his own decisions, but Master Rufus probably will always blame himself for not noticing that something was off earlier. He'll always feel like he failed his son."

Call felt something squeeze in his chest. For the second time that day, he held back tears.

"I hate this…" He whispered, not trusting his voice not to crack.

"Yeah, me too." Alex said, reaching out to squeeze once at Call's arm. "But it's like I said, the way you defended him, he really needed that. You two didn't really have a good start, but things have changed. If he didn't know it yet, then he definitely knows it now."

"I hope that counts for something." Call said, sounding miserable.

"It counts a lot." Alex said. "If not to the Assembly, then to Master Rufus. I think this meant the world to him."

Call nodded, feeling a little better. He and Alex made small talk for a few more minutes, until they both had finished eating.

Alex got up. "Have faith, things will get better." He said. "I've gotta go now, but I'll tell you if I hear anything else. Bye, Call!"

"Bye, Alex!" He said, watching the other boy as he left and getting up himself.

Just as he was about to head for his room though, Rafe and Kai Hale showed up in front of him.

"I hope you're not planning on spending the rest of the night holed up in your room." Rafe said, grabbing one of Call's arms.

"Because there's a new game in The Gallery and you're gonna test it out with us." Kai said, grabbing his other arm.

Call blinked, unsure what to do as both boys all but dragged him to The Gallery. It took him a few moments to realize that they were worried about him.

He blushed, embarrassed, but couldn't help smiling. It was good to have friends.

~x~

By the time Call did go back to his quarters, he'd had enough fun that the whole thing with the Assembly had been pushed to the back of his mind.

Until he walked through the doors and found Aaron and Tamara waiting for him in the living room, that is.

He stopped dead on his tracks, not knowing what to do. Havoc, who had been lying by Aaron's feet, ran to him, and Call bent down to scratch behind his ears.

"Have you calmed down?" Tamara asked softly from where she was sitting.

"That's literally the worst thing you could ask to someone who has calmed down. It just makes them remember that they were angry." Call muttered. He hadn't meant for her to hear him, but the eye-roll she gave him probably meant she had.

"Come sit with us." Aaron said, patting the spot next to him on the couch.

Call shifted from one foot to the other. "Why?"

"Because we're breaking the cycle. We won't let this argument last weeks." Tamara answered.

Call hesitated. "I haven't changed my mind. We'll just get into another argument…"

"We won't, Call. Just come here." Aaron said.

Call sighed, but did as he was told. He sat down and let out a loud screech when he found himself tackled into a bear hug from both sides.

"What…" He began, once they loosened the strength of their hold enough for him to breathe properly. "What was this for?"

"Oh, this?" Tamara said, still hugging him loosely. "Nothing. It just so happens that Aaron and I found out today that a friend of ours seems to think we're better off without him."

"Which is a lie." Aaron continued, his hold on Call still quite firm. "And we're gonna stay here the whole night trying to get it through his thick skull if we need to."

Call felt his face heating up. He looked down, avoiding his friends' eyes. "…I hadn't meant to say that part out loud."

"Call, look at us." He did, reluctantly. "We're not a team without you, Call." Tamara said.

"Nor do we want to be." Aaron said. "Do you get it?"

He nodded.

"Do you really?"

He nodded again, stronger this time. They had made a promise not to lie to each other, and he trusted them to keep it.

"And if you ever feel like that again, do you promise to tell us straight away instead of bottling things up?"

He smiled, and this time it reached his eyes. "I do."

"Good."

Besides, there was no way they were lying to make him feel better; not with how warm their eyes were.

His chest felt warm too.

After a while, Tamara let go of him completely and went back to her side of the couch. Aaron looked hesitantly to where he had been sitting before, but decided to stay where he was, an arm draped around Call's shoulders and their thighs touching.

Call didn't mind one bit.

Tamara raised an eyebrow and grinned. Call felt the tips of his ears turning red.

Thankfully, she was quick to drop it and sober up, though Call guessed she would tease them later. "So," She began. "Now we talk about Master Rufus."

Aaron nodded and looked at Call. "We felt really bad when you said those things about not even being able to apologize. We hadn't stopped to think of things that way."

"We're sorry. We didn't take that into account, and we can't imagine what it must feel like for you." Tamara said.

Havoc barked from where he was lying, as if he were apologizing as well, even though he had nothing to do with their argument.

"That's…that's okay." Call said.

"We were worried." Tamara said. "About all the bad things that could happen if you didn't learn how to control your chaos magic. We didn't want you or anybody else getting hurt, but we talked a lot while you were at the Gallery, and we decided to wait a little while."

Call blinked. "Wait?"

"Wait and see if the Assembly steps back or not." Aaron said. "If they don't, then we'll figure something out together. I don't know, maybe I could teach you the things I learn in secret or something. You're my counterweight, so you'd have to come to most of the lessons anyway, even if just to watch me. I know it's different than actively practicing, but we could practice together afterhours."

"Yeah…" Call said, thinking about it. "Yeah, we could pull that off." He smiled. "Thanks, guys."

Tamara smiled. "That's what an apprentice group is for." She said, then added. "That's what friends are for."

"We stick together." Aaron said.

"We stick together." Call repeated.

After that, they chit-chatted for a while until they were all yawning, then said their good-nights and went to sleep.

~x~

The next day, Call had just come back from walking Havoc when Alex caught up to him in one of the hallways.

"Hey, Call! Wait a minute!" Alex said, jogging up to him.

Call stopped walking and waved in greeting. Havoc made a satisfied noise as Alex scratched behind his ears.

"I've got news." Alex said lowly, looking around to make sure that they were alone.

Call instantly felt nervous. He hadn't heard anything from the Assembly since he last saw them, and none of the Masters had mentioned anything either.

He hadn't even seen Master Rufus at all after the whole ordeal.

"What is it?" He asked, apprehensively.

"Your father is here."

For a moment, Call didn't react at all, but then the words sank in and his eyes became wide as saucers. "He's in the Magisterium?! What for?!"

"The Assembly called him." Alex answered, still being careful not to speak too loudly. "They wanted him to try and change your mind about having another Master. I guess they thought he'd be all for it, considering what people say about his strained relationship with Master Rufus."

"And what did my father say?!" Call asked, almost scared of hearing the answer.

Alex grinned. "He's a hundred percent with you on this one."

Call blinked. "…Oh." He said. "Oh."

Now that he thought about it calmly, it did make sense. Master Rufus still was the person in the Magisterium whom Alastair trusted the most. He didn't know why he had panicked like that.

It might have been because he had kind of internalized that the words "father" and "Magisterium" didn't go well together unless there was a "was far away from" in the middle.

Yeah, he had just quoted Fairly OddParents. Sue him.

He was totally adding a point to the "Good" side of his list. Evil Overlords didn't quote Fairly OddParents.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked, looking concerned. "You look kind of pale."

"I'm fine." He said, breathing in. "Just had a mini heart attack over nothing." He shook his head to try and get his thoughts in order. "But what you said…that…that's great, isn't it?" Call asked. "The Assembly will have to take that into consideration, right?"

Alex nodded. "Sure. After all, your dad watched in the front roll as the whole mess with The Enemy developed, but he still trusts Master Rufus to train his Makar son. That's gonna give the Assembly something to think about."

"I hope so." Alastair said from behind them.

If Call and Alex had jumped any higher, they'd have hit their heads on the ceiling.

"Dad?!" Call said, breathing rapidly. Alex was even worse than he, with a hand over his heart. "Where did you come from?!"

His father raised an eyebrow. "From the other corridor, less than a minute ago."

"Now I was the one who had a mini heart attack." Alex whispered, more to himself than to anybody else.

Alastair looked at Alex. "And who are you?"

This broke Alex out of his surprised stupor. He cleared his throat. "Alex Strike." He extended a hand. "Nice to meet you."

His father shook it. "Nice to meet you too, Alex." He said. "I was wondering why there was a student eavesdropping on my conversation with the Assembly, but it seems you just wanted to keep Call on the loop." There was a hint of humor in his voice.

Alex's face became a violent shade of red. "You saw me?!"

"Hiding behind that table? Yes." Alastair answered. "If it makes you feel better though, the others didn't notice. It's me who's paranoid about these things."

Alex stuttered, embarrassed, then became an even darker shade of red. Call could only stare in surprise.

He had always assumed that Alex knew stuff because his stepmother mentioned it, or because he was Master Rufus' assistant. He had never thought that Alex actually sneaked around and eavesdropped on other people's conversations.

He thought about Master Rufus telling him that there was a spy in the Magisterium and something heavy settled in his stomach. It couldn't be, could it?

Before he could follow that line of thought, however, Alex said a quick: "I gotta go! See you later, Call! Mister Hunt!" And sprinted away like a bat out of hell.

Alastair watched him go in amusement, then turned to Call. "He's a fast runner."

Call couldn't help but chuckle. "I had never seen him run that fast. I don't think he'll ever look you in the eyes again, dad."

"Probably not." He agreed. "But let's talk about you." He said.

Call looked down at Havoc, who was sitting on the ground and quietly watching them. "I guess the Assembly already told you what happened."

"They did." He said. "In great detail, actually. One would think they'd have gotten tired of watching me laugh in their faces."

Call smiled. "I couldn't just let them do that to Master Rufus." He said.

Alastair's eyes softened. "I know. I'm proud of you."

A lump formed in Call's throat, followed by something warm growing in his chest. "Thanks, dad."

"Have you talked to Master Rufus after that?"

Call shook his head. "No, but…yesterday, Alex said that Master Rufus needed to hear what I said; that he blamed himself as well."

Alastair sighed, but nodded. "Yeah, that was something I realized even before I graduated. When you talk to him, let him know that I meant what I said to the Assembly." His father said.

"Why don't you come with me to talk to him, dad?" Call asked, thinking of what Alex had said about Master Rufus' apprentices becoming his children.

Alastair was as much Master Rufus' child as Call, Tamara, or Aaron. Had been for longer than any of them.

His father sighed again. "I…I don't think I can do that just yet, Call. It's getting better, but this place…still…." He stopped talking. His eyes grew distant.

Tamara and Aaron's words from the night before flashed through Call's mind.

" _We stick together."_

What about his father, though? His apprentice group was long gone.

They didn't say anything for a while; just stood there in each other's presence until Alastair asked:

"Call, do you know why your middle name is William?"

Call frowned. "No, but what does that have to do with…oh. Oh!" He exclaimed.

His father smiled. "Yeah." He said, giving him a hug. "Accompany me to the exit?" He asked. Call nodded, and they made their way to the gate.

"Bye, dad." He said.

"Bye, Call. Take care." Alastair said, then left.

~x~

When Call got back to his quarters, Havoc in tow, Tamara was nowhere to be seen, but Aaron was in the couch reading a book. He looked up when Call entered, and smiled.

"Hey! What took you so long?"

Call sat down next to him, and proceeded to explain everything that had happened. By the time he was finished, there was something odd in Aaron's expression, but he couldn't identify what it was.

"So…" Aaron said. "Are you going to talk to Master Rufus?"

Call nodded. "I will." He said. "I'll look for him tomorrow morning."

Aaron nodded, but didn't say anything. Call frowned.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

Aaron shook his head as if to say that it was nothing.

"Come on, Aaron. What's bothering you?" Call asked.

Aaron bit his lip. "You said Alex told you about your father being here?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Aaron frowned. "And last year…you said a true friend had told you that your father's life was at stake. You never said who…but it was Alex, wasn't it?"

"Yeah." Call answered, not understanding where this was going.

Aaron's shoulders slumped. He looked upset. "Yesterday, before dinner, Tamara and I made you angry." He said. "But it took Alex less than five minutes to make you laugh loud enough we could hear it from our table."

Call's eyebrows shot up. That's what was bothering Aaron? "Yeah, but that…that was different." He said.

Aaron made a face. "How so?"

"Because…" He began. _"Because he was on my side."_ Definitely didn't seem like a good thing to say, especially after Aaron and Tamara had apologized the day before.

"Because it was a different situation." He decided. "And that happens, Aaron. Sometimes your best friends make you angry and someone else makes you laugh. Sometimes it seems like the whole world is against you and your best friends are the only ones on your side. Hell, sometimes even people you don't exactly get along with make you laugh. Jasper has made me laugh before, you know that." He finished, shrugging.

Aaron nodded, but he still looked upset. They spent a few minutes in silence, which Call spent trying to figure out what he could say that would make Aaron feel better. He sighed, frustrated. He hated seeing Aaron upset.

"I just…" Aaron began. Call looked at him. "Normally, something like this wouldn't bother me, but when I saw you laughing with Alex…" He stopped, taking a deep breath and looking at Call. His green eyes were intense in a way Call had never seen before. "It's different when it's about you, Call. You're special."

Aaron's cheeks reddened and Call felt his own face heating up. His heart was beating a drum on his ribcage.

He bit his lip to stop an idiotic happy smile from forming. Aaron followed the movement with his eyes.

Call didn't know who leaned in first, but next thing he knew, Aaron's hands were on Call's cheeks, and Call's hands were on Aaron's hair, and they were kissing.

Call's brain kind of short-circuited after that, so he didn't know for how long they kissed or even who broke apart for air first.

But he did know that they kissed again right after.

And again.

And again.

To be honest, they would have kissed for God knows how longer if it weren't for Tamara's squeak coming from the door, followed by a "About time!" that had them both blushing and smiling like dorks.

~x~

A day later, Call still hadn't heard anything from the Assembly, which could be really good or really bad.

Still, he figured he should go and talk to Master Rufus; so, with a nod of encouragement from Tamara and a kiss from Aaron, he made his way to his Master's office.

A few minutes later, he stood by the door. His palms were sweating, so he wiped them on his pants. He took a deep breath, steeling himself, and knocked.

Master Rufus' voice came from inside. "Come in!"

Call entered. Master Rufus looked up from the document he was reading and put it aside when he saw him standing by the door.

"Good morning, Call." He said, with a small smile.

"Morning, Master Rufus."

"Take a seat."

Call nodded, approaching the chair on the opposite side of the table and sitting down.

He stared at Master Rufus, not knowing where to begin. Damn it, he really wasn't good with words…

"Call?" Master Rufus said.

Call snapped out of his thoughts. Perhaps he didn't need to have an elaborate speech, just tell Master Rufus what he had told his friends and his father. It was the truth; it should be all that mattered.

"Have you heard of what I said to the Assembly, Master Rufus?" He asked.

"Yes, I have heard." Master Rufus answered. Call thought there was something akin to amusement in his voice. "Master Milagros made sure to tell me in great enthusiasm and detail."

Call couldn't help chuckling. Master Rufus' eyes softened. "Thank you, Call." He said. "What you and your father said…I…I wasn't expecting it."

Suddenly, Call didn't feel like chuckling anymore. He fidgeted in his seat. "Master Rufus…I know we didn't have a great start, and I know that your relationship with my father hasn't been the greatest in the last decade, but..." He took a breath, hoping that the honesty in his words was coming through. "But things changed a lot in the past couple years, and I came here to tell you that I meant what I said to the Assembly; every single word." He said. "And my father…he had his reasons for acting the way he did, and these reasons don't have nearly as much to do with him holding something against you as you think. When the Assembly tried to get him to change my mind and he agreed with me, he meant it as well."

" _But I still can't tell you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"_

He continued. "I thought it was important that I tell you, because I was told that you believe in some of the things people blame you for, and I understand that, I really do. I…I think it's pretty impossible to ask that you stop thinking about your time as Constantine's master; about what you could have done to make things different – I know my father thinks about the things he could have done differently as well…"

" _I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"_

"…But at the end of the day, the decisions Constantine made were his own."

" _I'm sorry Master Rufus, I'm sorry Alastair, I'm sorry Jericho…"_

Call blinked away tears. "You're a good Master, Master Rufus." He sniffed. "Did you know that my middle name is William? Of course I already knew that, but it was only yesterday that my father told me that it was because of you."

Master Rufus hadn't moved an inch since Call started talking, but he had started silently crying at some point of Call's speech. Call hadn't thought he'd ever see him cry.

"He doesn't regret it." Call said, at last. "And I'm proud of it."

There was silence. Master Rufus kept on crying. Call figured he should give him as much time as he needed for it, so he didn't say anything more.

It took some minutes, but Master Rufus stopped crying. There was something in his eyes that hadn't been there before. Call didn't know if it was just wishful thinking on his part, but he thought they looked lighter.

"I didn't know, Call." He said. "Thank you. Thank you for everything you said."

Call nodded. He got up from his seat and looked at Master Rufus once more. "See you tomorrow, Master Rufus."

"See you tomorrow, Call."

Call left, making his way back to his chambers with a smile.

The following day, Call and Aaron were informed that the Assembly had "reconsidered the matter at hand and decided that it would be more sensible to maintain Master Rufus as their teacher to both regular and Makar lessons."

Ha.

* * *

A/N: Thank you very much for reading it!

I thought a lot about what I would name this story. I believe there were maybe four or five options, but the finalists were "Repercussions" and "Atonement". In the end, I decided on "Repercussions" because this story revolved around not only the repercussions of Constantine's actions on the lives of Master Rufus, Alastair, and Call, but also the repercussions of what Call says to the Assembly, of what he says to his friends, of Alastair's actions after the Cold Massacre, and of other things.

I always love to discuss anything Magisterium related! You can find me on tumblr as agarotado27dejunho


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